Show Our Art Class AT Ai the present time almost every everyone one has some acquaintance with art Nor Noris is this strange In every new country each age sees new practices The Pilgrims Pilgrims Pilgrims Pil Pil- grims of 1620 could scarcely have devoted devoted devoted de de- voted their time to the fine arts in the Revolutionary period there were other things than literature and painting to w take the attention but when independence ence had been gain gained d when the country had grown in prosperity and had become become become be be- come more thickly populated when the times called for writers as well as statesmen they were not wanting The people recovered fr from om the hardships of those early times turned their attention to advancement and culture And so it is with the people of the west A few years ago saw this part of the United States States- working for existence I It t was then a question of living as they could not as they wi wished hed but they too since this problem has in most cases been happily solved are turning their attention to other things things- things that pertain to the culture of the mind The daily realities of earth the seeking after gain and often no less toilsome seeking after pleasure are not sufficient to fill the desires of the human soul Truth and virtue may be inculcated by emblems emblems emblems em em- or rather embodiments of them them- selves A cultivation of the taste by attention to and the fine arts lifts us above trivial things and opens for us a fund of resources es within ourselves They give us the purer the better side of life and should be carefully cultivated as an important part of our education too often neglected for education as we commonly practice it amounts simply to the rooting out of Gods God's predilections and the planting of our own in their stead Every indigenous indigenous indigenous indig indig- enous germ is carefully weeded away and the soil exhausted in producing a scanty alien crop The safe instincts of nature are displayed by conventional Drawing is by b y no means as many think the least important of the fine arts Aside from its influence on the mind there is its practical use As Mills says science and art have grown together and are most closely allied There are few of the sciences that do donot donot not ot call for some knowledge of of it It is I J t doubly useful to teachers in that it shows them things unnoticed d before while laying bare facts even more useful to their pupils It is in fact a most necessary necessary necessary sary part of a teachers teacher's education and will in a few years as many prominent educators say become a requirement Therefore it is not an idle vanity which may with impunity be cherished or cast aside at the dictation of caprice or convenience i it t is intimately connected connected con con- with the framework of mans man's nature and what may be by some considered considered considered con con- more important with the framework framework frame frame- war work k of his education Our little city has not been behind in inthis inthis this his growth g in most instances but the theart theart theart art of drawing has unhappily been somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what neglected Nor is there any ny excuse excuse excuse ex ex- cuse for this neglect for there then are few small cities that have the advantages that we possess There has been for some time an attempt to call attention to this subject but we must admit that it has not been universally responded to We vVe have among us artists of talent who have each year at great expense to themselves themselves themselves them them- selves exhibited their work and strange as it may seem that a city usually so quick to grasp at any new subject should be so slow to the importance of this their efforts were rewarded by but a slight show of interest The University added last year a special art under the supervision supervision supervision super super- vision of Mr Harwood and Mr Haag Later Mr Harwood having withdrawn Mr Haag alone had this department under his control The pupils of the University far from being eager to take advantage of this good fortune were slow to notice it at all Mr Haag had spent two years of hard work in Paris and hi his efforts were rewarded by much praise It was wasa a kindness for him to take such a tion The class still continues and Mr I l Harwood has pas at t the earnest solicitations solicitations solicitations of the pupils cons consented to take Mr Haags Haag's place They d deem em themselves themselves themselves them them- selves most fortunate in having as an instructor one especially recommend b by 5 his teacher L. L Bonnat a member of the French Institute who writes 48 RUE DE BASSANO PARIS FRANCE May 1892 It It is with great regret that I part with my pupil J. J T. T Harwood He is isone isone isone one of my best pupils and he is certainly certainly certainly an artist of great talent He is very well informed on the subject of art artand artand artand and perfectly capable of giving lessons The city in which he shall make his home will be most fortunate in having an artist and instructor such as heL heL heL he L BONNAT de del I 1 Institute de France Paris Mr Harwood spent three or four years in France His pictures received mention in several of the Parisian journals journals journals jour jour- nals of art and his days of hard work were rewarded by having one of his productions hung in in the Salon an honor scarcely understood by those of America who know nothing of the rigidity with which it is guarded and the eagerness with which it is sought after These are advantages which every year of people go from towns equally as large as our to obtain and yet many pupils of the University are probably ignorant of the fact that that such a department does exist Under such auspices an excellent class can be formed There are at present but nine pupils only one of whom is a member of the University The work intended to be done this coming coming- winter promises to be most interesting Outside Outside Outside Out Out- side of the regular work of drawing drawing- from casts a com composition position will be given 1 each week that is a verse of some j f poem will be given to be illustrated Then there will be much time spent in sketching and drawing from life Even if the pupils do not desire to become members of the class they f a should take sufficient interest in what promises to be in a few years one of the most important branches offered to at least pay some attention to the work that is being done |